Machine for marking mail-matter.



V.BEAUREGARD. MAGHINE FOR MARKING MAIL MATTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 15, 1911. 1,01 9,296, Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

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COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH Co.. WASHINGTON, D. C.

V. BEAUREGARD. MACHINE FOR MARKING MAIL MATTER.

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Ants PATENT ori ice.

VICTOR BEAUREG-ARD, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF 'IOEDWARD BROUGI-ITON WAITE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MACHINE FOR MARKING MAIL-1VIATTER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that'I, VIoroR BEAUREGARD, of Boston, in the county ofSuffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Machines for Marking Mail-Matter, of which the follow--ing is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for marking mail matter to cancel thepostage stamps on such matter, and in addition to apply a post mark soaccurately and evenly as to be legible; and embodies certainimprovements over the machines for this purpose which have been incontinuous commercial use for the past twenty-fiveor more years.

More particularly, the invention consists in improvements over themachines illustrated in the following patents, viZ.,Ethridge, No. 323,799, for a power-driven mailmarking machine, which discloses, so far as Iam aware, the first instance in the art of a constantly travelingprinting couple, of which the members are normally held apart by a tripor abutment operated by the pieces of mail matter; Maas and Fischer, No.7 5,638, including preliminary feeding members projecting from theperiphery of a feed wheel, which is also an impression, or bed, roll;and Loffelhardt, No. 311,340, which has, among other features,preliminary feeding fingers of rubber operative to advance letters tothe printing position, together with feeding segments and the members ofa printing couple which grasp and print on the letters after they havereached this position.

The object of the invention is mainly to provide a simple and lightrunning handoperated machine as distinguished from one requiring powerto drive it, in which the desirable features of the machines abovereferred to are present, in combination with new and important features,to produce a machine having an automatic letter feed, capable of beingdriven at a high speed by hand and also so simple in construction andoperation and so inexpensive as to be practical. for use even in thenumerous small post-oflices which handle relatively small volumes ofletter mail. The first of the machines referred to above is of suchcharacter that it cannot be operated by hand, while the other machineshave no provision for preventing deposit of ink on the im Specificationof Letters Patent.

Application fi1ed March 15, 1911.

Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

Serial No. 614,597.

pression member or bed when the machine is operated and letters fail topass. I have provided by my invention a machine in which separation ofthe marking and impression members is effected when letters fail topass, and one at the same time so compact in construction and of suchlight weight that it can be placed upon any ordinary table or stand andmoved from one place to another, as well as operated manually, with verylittle muscular exertion.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a machine which I haveinvented to carry the foregoing invention into effect and secure theobject named.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the machine. Fig. 2 is aview similar in the main, but differing in that the table is removed andthe gearing is illustrated. Fig. 3 is a plan view on an enlarged scaleof the members which constitute the printing couple and other partsassociated therewith. Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view of the machine online lt of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view on line 55 ofFig. 1. Fig. 6 is a detail of the means for adjusting the impressionroll. Fig. 7 is a detail view showing in vertical section the supportingand adjusting means for the impression roll. Fig. 8 is a plan view ofthe driving connection bet-ween the printing and impression members.Fig. 9 is a plan view of the connecting strap between the complementalintermeshing gears of the printing and impression members. Figs. 10 and11 are perspective views of the members of the coupling between theimpression roll and the gear by which it is driven. Fig. 12 is a planview of the gear last above referred to. Fig. 13 is a plan view of amodification of the mechanism capable .of accomplishing the same generalresults. Fig. 14: is a longitudinal section of the embodiment of theinvention illustrated in Fig. 13. Fig. 15 is a plan view of a furthermodified embodiment of the invention.

Referring first to Figs. 2 and 5, it will be seen that the machineconsists of a base 1 which is adapted to rest loosely upon a table orother support when the machine is in use, and by which all the workingparts of the machine are carried. On the under side of the base are feet2, and from its upper side rises a stud 3 on which is journaled the maindrive wheel or driving gear 4. This wheel has a hub 5 which rises abovethe top of the stud 3 and forms asocket into which projects a stud 6 onthe under side of a disk or wheel 7 which carries a handle 8. The wheel7 constitutes both a balance wheel and a preliminary feeder, havingfeeding elements 9 which engage letters held in a pack and carry them tothe printing position in a manner presently to be described. Suchfeeding elements are conveniently blocks or fingers of frictionalmaterial such as rubber, which are secured in recesses in the rim of thewheel and project somewhat beyond the outer periphery thereof.

Rotatively mounted upon a stud 10 which rises from the base 1 is apinion 11 meshing with the driving gear 4, and secured to such pinion isa second pinion 12, represented herein as of the same size as the pinionmeshing with a third pinion 13 on a stud 14 also rising from the base 1.Journaled upon the same stud 14 is a rocker 15 carrying a pin 16 whereonis journaled a gear wheel 17 in mesh with the pinion 13. The pinionsdescribed constitute a train of gears by which rotation is transmittedfrom the driving gear 4 to the wheel 17, and thus to the marking member.The marking member is designated as 18 and consists of a segment whichis secured to the same pin as the gear wheel 17, having a hub 19 whichsurrounds and is securely fastened to such pin. Also secured to the pinor stud 16 is a feeding disk 20 which turns in unison with the printingsegment and the wheel 17. The gear ratio between the wheels 4 and 17 issuch that the marking member rotates with a fixed timed relation to thedriving wheel, and in the present embodiment of the invention makes tworevolutions for every one of the wheel. The hand wheel is so firmlyconnected to the gear wheel as by means of pin 21 that the preliminaryfeed member 9 is in proper timed relation to the printing segment.

Cooperating with the marking or printing member is a bed member, whichis preferably a roll 22 having its outer surface covered with yieldingfrictional material such as rubber. The bed or impression roll ispositively driven at the same peripheral speed as the marking surface ofthe printing members by means of a pinion 23 meshing with the gear wheel17 and having a positive driving connection with the roll 22. Theconnection between the gear 23 and impression roll is such as to permitseparation between the marking member and the said roll when no lettersare passing and to permit yielding to accommodate thick letters, andadjustment of the impression roll when its surface wears away. Saidconnection consists, in the form herein illustrated, of a ring 24 (shownbest in Fig. 10), which is contained in a recess in the upper face ofthe gear 23, and has grooves 25 in one face diametrically opposite toeach other, adapted to fit over diametral ribs 26 in the gear 23. In theopposite face of the ring 24 are grooves or notches 27 diametrically inline and intermediately disposed between the grooves 25, which receivelugs or ribs 28 on the under side of the plate 29 which overlies thegear 23 and is secured to the axis or shaft 30 of the impression roll.This shaft is secured in two arms 31 and 32 arranged respectively aboveand below the plate 29 and gear 23, and both secured to a hub 33 whichis mounted upon a stud 34 rising from the base 1, so as to be capable ofswinging thereon. The gear 23 has a hub 35 which is rotatably mountedupon a bearing 36 rising from a strap 37 which is connected to the shaft16 of the gear 17 and the printing member, the strap having aperforation 38 through which said shaft extends. In the bearing stud 36is an elongated slot 39 through which the shaft 30 passes, such slotbeing substantiallyequal in width to the diameter of the shaft but ofgreater length. Thus relative movement of the shaft 30 and impressionroll with respect to the gear 23, or of the gear with respect to theroll and shaft, is permitted,

without disengaging the driving connection, for the ring 24 makes acoupling between the gear and plate 29 which permits relative movementback and forth from the printing member and maintains arotationtransmitting connection.

As a convenient feature of construction the arms 31 and 32 whichconstitute a two armed holder for the impression roll rest upon a bridgebar 40 which is supported upon a shoulder on the stud 34 and anotherstud 41, and extends over the driving gear 4, thereby supporting theimpression roll and its driving mechanism clear of the said drivinggear. The two-armed holder is adjustable to enable the impression rollto be moved toward the printing member as its diameter decreases inconsequence of its surface becoming worn away. To produce thisadjustment the lower arm 32 of the holder is provided with a lug 42through which passes a screw 43 which is threaded into an ear 44 on thebridge piece 40. A spring 45 is interposed between the ear and lug andholds the impression roll as far as possible away from the printingmember.

The rocker 15 is oscillatively movable about the stud 14 and carries theprinting member toward or from the impression member under the controlof a cam 46 and spring 47. The cam is secured to the hub of gear 17 ofthe marking member and acts against abutment 48 which is conveniently aroll journaled upon a bar 49 secured at its ends to posts 50 rising fromthe base 1 The latter is secured to the rocker 15 andhas a notch 54 toreceive the end of the lever 51, at one side of which is a lip 55. Alight spring 56 is connected to the arm 51 and to a pin 57 and tends todraw the arm toward the notch 54 and against a pin or stop 58. Securedto the rock shaft 52 is a second arm 59 which extends into the pathfollowed by the letters in passing between the printing and impressionmembers. The arm or gate 59 cooperates with a rigid stop 60 to preventthe mail matter from passing except under conditions which will bepresently described. This stop is preferably mounted upon an arm 15 ofthe rocker 15 and rises therefrom into the plane between the printingsegment 18 and the feeding disk 20, being thence extended into theposition indicated in Figs. 2 and 3 nearly up to the line of centers ofthe printing and impression members. The arm 15 also carries a holder 61on which is secured a spindle 62 carrying an ink roll 63 which is drawnby a spring 64 against printing segment. An adjustable stop 64 on theholder 61 co-acts with an abutment 65 on the arm. 15 to limit the innermovement of the ink roll when the cutaway part of the printing segmentpasses the same.

The gears are covered by a table 66 supported upon posts 67 and havingan apron 68 at some of its edges. As shown in Fig. 1 the table issubstantially co-extensive in area with the base and is dividedlongitudinally into two parts so that it may be slipped on and off,being secured in place by screws 69. It has open slots 70, 71, 72 toreceive the studs of the driving wheel, impression roll, printingsegment and ink roll, with raised walls 7 k and 75 flanking the printingmember and ink roll. The wall 74 forms one boundary of a space or pocket76 containing the letters or other mail matter to be marked, the otherboundary of this space being formed by a fence 77. A second fence 78approximately in line with the fence 77 on the opposite side of themachine forms, with the wall 75 and a movable plate 79, a pocket 80 forthe marked mail matter. A rotary packer 81 projects through the fence 78and is rotated by a pinion 82 in mesh with the pinion 12 previouslymentioned, to pack the letters against the plate 79 as they are fed intothe receiving pocket.

Such stop is conveniently an the periphery of the The plate 79 ismounted on a slide 83 which may move upon a rod 8 1 and thus enlarge thepocket 80 as the marked pack increases.

Having described the mechanical structure of the machine I will nowdescribe its operation.

A pack of letters or other pieces of mail matter is placed in a facedcondition in the pocket 76 with the several pieces on edge and theirbacks against the fence 77. The path in which the preliminary feeders 9move when the hand wheel 7 is rotated intersects the plane of the fence77 and these preliminary feeders therefore engage successively theletters nearest to the fence and move them one by one up to the line ofcenters of the impression and printing members which constitute theprinting couple. The letters are so held by the fingers of the operatorand a flexible spring 85 shown in Figs. 1 and 3 that they are engagedjust back of their forward edges by the preliminary feeding members. Thespring 85 has a frictional tip 86 of such material as rubber, whichholds back all of the pack except the letter to be acted upon and soprevents feed ing of more than one at a time to the printing couple.Immediately upon being ad vanced each letter comes against the arm orgate 59 which occupies an inclined position across the open throatbetween the printing and impression members, and as such arm or gate issecured to the rock shaft 52 and is locked by the positive engagement ofthe lever 51 in the notch 54, it deflects the letter away from thepreliminary feeder and guides it until it comes to a stop with itsforward edge against the abutment or stop finger 60. The latter isprovided to prevent the momentum of the letter from carrying it throughthe open throat between the members of the printing couple. It should benoted in this connection that the printing segment and feeding disk 20are so placed on their shaft 16 and so timed with respect to thepreliminary feeders 9 that their cutaway sides are adjacent to theimpression roll and the hand wheel when the preliminary feed takesplace. The letter being in the position noted remains there while theprinting segment rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig.3. When the inclined eccentric surface 18 of the printing segmentapproaches the letter, the rise 16 of the cam 46 engages the roll 48 andmoves the rocker 15 outward sufficiently far for the lip 55 to clear theend of the rocking lever 51, thus unlocking the deflecting arm or gate59. Thereupon the incline 18 presses against the letter, causing it tobe displaced sidewise and by. pressure against the arm or gate 59 movingthe same toward the impression roll and swinging the locking member 51aside from the socket 54: in the abutment plate 53. Immediatelythereafter a depression in the cam face following the rise 46 allows therocker to be pulled inward by the spring 47 so that the printing membermay press the letter against the impression roll. A corner or shoulder18 on the forward end of the protuberant concentric printing face of theprinting segment now presses against the letter and in cooperation withthe impression roll grasps the letter and feeds it forward. Theconcentric surface of the printing member, which is designated by 18,bears raised portions which apply the stamp cancellation marks, and nearthe rear end of this surface is the die bearing the types which impressthe usual postmark. At the point 18 the active face of the printingsegment abruptly terminates and thereafter the feeding of the letter isaccomplished by the surface 20 of the disk 20. This disk is cut awayover the forward cutaway portion of the printing segment so as to leavethe latter free to act. The extent of feeding surface of the disk 20* issufficient to carry letters of ordinary length entirely through thethroat of the printing couple and to throw them into the pocket 80,where they are acted upon by the packer 81 and joined to the markedpack. After the end of the feeding surface has passed the impressionroll, a second rise 46 in the cam 16 displaces the rocker 15 far enoughto allow the stop lever 51 to be moved by its spring 56 into alinementwith the socket 5 1, so that after the rise 46 passes, the rocker may beswung back until the stop lever enters the socket, thereby locking therocker with the printing member away from the impression member, andbeing itself locked. This also causes the arm or gate 59 to be locked sothat the next following letter will be deflected by this arm and broughtup against the abutment 60, being thus positively prevented fromslipping through the throat prematurely. The lock 51 holds the printingsegment at such a distance from the impression roller that its printingface clears the latter and never comes in contact therewith when themachine is in operation and letters fail to be fed regularly to thethroat of the printing couple. Thus depositing of ink on the impressionroll is prevented and there is no possibility of the backs of lettersbeing soiled from this cause. The printing segment, however, is alwaysunlocked when a letter is present by reason of the cam 46 and thedisplacement of the look through the interposition of the letter itselfbetween the arm or gate 59 and the printing segment. On the other hand,after a letter has passed, the printing segment is again locked in theinoperative position by virtue of its withdrawal under the action of thecam rise 46 or 46 before its printing face has advanced far enough totouch the impression roll.

l/Vhen the printing segment is thus moved toward and from the impressionroll the driving gear 23 of the latter is correspondingly moved by thelink 37 and is thus'retained continuously in proper mesh with the gear17. At the same time the connection between the gear 23 and impressionroll 'already described causes the roll to be driven positively at thesame peripheral speed as the printing and feeding surface of the segmentand disk. This is a feature of great importance because thereby the lifeof the impression roll is greatly increased. Where a rubber-facedimpression roll is driven as an idler the drag caused by its inertiawhen a letter comes in contact with it causes great strain to be put onthe rubber surface, with the result that the surface is quickly torn andworn away. When positively driven the only drag on the surface of theroll is caused by the inertia of the letter, which is much less thanthat of the roll and is in part overcome by the printing segment. Moreimportant still is the fact that a better impression is secured bypositively driving the impression roll, since the impression roll thusassists in feeding the letter along the surface of the printing member,instead of tending to retard it and cause the impression to be blurred.

Owing to the peculiar coupling which connects the gear 28 with theimpression roll and to the fact that such gear is held by a link 37 atan invariable distance from the gear 17, no amount of separation betweenthe rolls suflices to draw the teeth of the gears out of engagement, orto break the connection between the gear 23 and the impression roll,even though letters of a thickness greater than the length of the gearteeth should pass between the printing and impression members, and thusseparate the members by a distance approximately as great as suchthickness.

Instead of having the printing member.

with its associated feeding disk and driving gear mounted upon a rockerand moved bodily therewith, it is feasible to omit the rocker, securethe parts heretofore described as carried thereby in a stationarylocation upon the base, and have only the impression roll movable insuch a direction as to increase or diminish the distance between therolls. Such an arrangement as that last suggested is shown in Fig. 13,where the shaft 16 of the printing segment is mounted directly upon thebase and is immovable. The

gear 17, printing segment 18 and feeding disk 20 are mounted upon thisshaft as previously described, and may be driven from the drive wheel 4through a gear train such as that described, or directly throughengagement of the driving wheel 4 with a second gear 86 on the shaft 16.The shaft or spindle 30 of the impression roll is mounted upon a bridgemember 49*, which, however,

45 normal posltion, the same may be driven d1- instead of being fixed atboth ends, is pivotabutment roll 48 is carried by the rocker 493 andengages the periphery of cam 46 secured as previously described to thegear 17 This cam by acting through its rises upon the roll 48 swings therocking carrier 49 and therewith the impression roll away from theprinting segment, these swinging parts being returned whenever permittedtoward the printing member by a spring 47 The swinging end of the rocker49 rests on a pedestal 87 and carries a rock shaft 52 carrying a lockinglever 51 and an arm or gate 59 which corresponds to the gate ordeflector 59 already described. The locking arm 51 coiiperates with anabutment 53 secured to the base and having a notch with a locking lipprecisely as already described in connection with the abutment 53. Thegear 23 of the impression roll is connected with the gear 17 of theprinting roll by a strap 37 or equivalent means such as describedalready, and is coupled to the impression roll by a flexible orshiftable coupling such as described. Furthermore the impression roll isadjustable toward the printing segment independent of the rocker 49 byjust such an adjustment as has already been described, and which isdesignated in Fig. 13 by the same characters used in the other figures.In principle and in mode of operation this embodiment of the inventionis identical with that previously described, the difference being thatseparation between the members of the printing couple is accomplished bymoving the impression member instead of the printing member. As theimpression member may contain less mass of material and be less heavy,this arrangement may in some cases be an advantage over the one firstdescribed. Owing to the fact also that the printing member is notshifted out of its rectly from the main wheel 4 and the additional trainof gears shown in Fig. 2 may be omitted.

In Fig. 15 is shown an embodiment of the invention in which theimpression roll is moved away from the printing member when no letterspass, but is prevented from so moving when letters are present, and inwhich the printing member yields and separates from the impressionmember to accommodate thick letters. This figure is somewhatdiagrammatic, being designed to show those features in which variationsfrom the structures previously described occur, and omitting most of theparts which are similar to those heretofore described. In this figurethe printing member or segment is not shown, as it is hidden by thefeeding disk 20. It is to be understood, however, that the printingmember is the same as that shown in the preceding figures. Theimpression member 22 is indicated by a dotted circle and is carried byan arm 90 which is pivoted at 91 upon the bridge 40. The impression rollshaft 30 is contained in a bearing in the arm 90, and carries a couplingidentical with that shown in Figs/7 to 12 which connects it with a gearcorresponding to the gear 23, which latter is held in mesh with the gear17 on the printing segment shaft by means substantially identical withthat heretofore described. A spring 92 acts on the arm 90, throwing theimpression roll outward toward the printing segment. An arm 93 which ispivoted at 94 to the arm or holder 90 is pressed by a spring 95 againsta cam 46 which rotates with the printing segment. A gate or arm 59 ispivotally mounted upon the arm 90 and extends diagonally across thethroat between the prlnting and impression members, occupying a positioncorresponding to that of the gates 59 and 59 shown in the other figures.The end of the gate 59 is bent back and bears against a stop arm 96which is thrown outward by a spring 97 and has a stop shoulder orabutment 98 close to the end of a finger 99 on the impression rollholder 90. The machine is driven as heretofore described by a hand wheel7 connected to a main driving gear 4 which drives a train of gears 12,18 and so rotates the gear 17. When the machine is running and noletters pass, the cam 46 acts on the arm 93 and retracts the impressionroll whenever the high part of the cam passes the arm 93, thus keepingthe im pression roll out of contact with the face of the printingsegment and preventing it from becoming soiled. The spring 95 is stifferthan spring 92 and so accomplishes this result. However, when a letteris present and is fed by the preliminary feeder as heretofore described,it rests against the gate 59 and is engaged by the corner or shoulder 20of the feeding disk 20 and the corresponding shoulder on the printingsegment. It is thereby deflected and deflects the gate 59", which inturn moves the arm 96 and places the shoulder 98 behind the finger 99 ofthe impression roll holder. The impression roll is thus locked so thatwhen the high part of cam 46 passes the arm 93, spring 95 yields and theimpression roll remains in a position practically tangent to theprinting face of the printing member, whereby the letter is supportedwhile receiving a printed impression from the canceling and postmarkingdies. In order to accommodate letters of extraordinary thickness, theprintingmember is allowed to yield as it is carried by the rocker 15 anddrawn yieldingly toward the impression roll by a spring 47 as heretoforedescribed. It is prevented frdm approaching too near the impression rollwhen no letters are passing by an adjustable stop 100 which may be movedas the impression roll wears away so as to secure a sufficiently firmimpression. By virtue of the gearing and coupling between the printingand impression members, these latter are rotated positively and inunison at the same peripheral speed, as heretofore described.

I claim,

1. In a mail marking machine, a rotary printing member and a rotaryimpression member, intermeshing gears connecting the members, means foradjusting the impression member transversely of its axis with respect tothe printing member to take up wear, one of the members being alsoyieldable away from the other to accommodate thick letters, means forretaining the gears of said members in fixed and invariable relationwith each other, and a coupling between the shaft of the impressionmember and its gear constructed to permit movement of the member and itsshaft relatively to the gear in a direction perpendicular to its axis,the axes of the members, shafts and gears being always parallel.

2. In a mail marking machlne, a feed wheel having a handle for manualoperation, feeding projections on the periphery of said wheel, a drivinggear directly connected to said feed wheel, a printing member having agear meshing with said driving gear, an impression member, gearsconnected to the printing and impression members and continuously inmesh for causing the impression member to rotate positively and inunison with the printing member, a holder independent of the gearing onwhich the impression member is mounted constructed to yield for thickletters, means for ad usting the impression member on the holder tocompensate for wear, and a coupling between the shaft of the impressionmember and its gear.

3. A mail marking machine comprising a hand-operated driver, a rotaryprinting "member having a cut-away portion geared thereto and operatedthereby, a rotary impression member in positive geared connection withsaid printing member, a lock normally holding the members apart, a camreleasing the lock, yielding means tending to press the memberstogether, a gate controlled by a letter passing between the membersarranged to deflect the letter into the cut-away portion of the printingmember beyond the line of centers of the members and connected with saidlock whereby to render the same inoperative when said gate is pressedupon by the part of the printing member adjacent to said cutawayportion, and an abutment arranged in connection with the gate to closethe passage between the printing and impression members.

4:. A mail marking machine comprising in permitted, and a couplingbetween the impression member shaft and gear having a sliding engagementwith each.

5. In a mail marking machine, printing and impression members rotatablymounted with their axes parallel, a holder for one of said membersmovable therewith toward and from the other member, a gear rigidlyfastened to one of the members, a second gear in mesh with the firstgear, a link having a bearing upon which the second gear is rotatablymounted for maintaining said gears in unchanging relation with oneanother, and a coupling between the second gear and the other memberhaving provision for sliding with respect to both the member and geartransversely of their axes while remaining in driving connection withbot 6. In a mail-marking machine the combination of a printing memberand an impression member, a holder for the impression member movabletherewith toward and from the printing member, a gear fixed to theprinting member, a second gear meshing with said first-named gear, meansfor preventing separation of said gears, and a coupling between saidsecond gear and the impression roll having positive motion-transmittingelements so constructed as to permit displacement of the impression rollbodily with respect to the second gear in a direction substantiallyperpendicular to their axes and also to permit the impression roll toremain always parallel to the printing roll and in the same plane in allpositions, the entire coupling being approximately in the plane of saidgears, whereby the said members and gears may be arranged in closelyadjacent planes.

7. In a mail-marking machine, the combination with a printing member,and an impression member, ofa feed wheel extending over the impressionmember having feeding means on its periphery and arranged to engageandadvance letters to the nip of said members, a flexible separatorprojecting toward the feed wheel across the path in which the letterstravel, arranged to cooperate with the feed wheel to hold back theunmarked letters of a pack and cause the feed wheel to advance theletters singly, gearing between the feed wheel and printing memberwhereby the latter is rotated by the former and in timed relationtherewith, gearing between the printing and impression members fordriving them positively in unison, a yielding holder carrying theimpression member and permitting the same to yield away from theprinting member, means to prevent separation of the gearing, and acoupling between the impression member and gearing constructed totransmit rotation positively and at the same time permit relative movement of the impression member transversely of its axis.

8. A mailmarking machine comprising a hand operated ,driving wheel, aprinting member, an impression member, letter receptacles for unmarkedand marked letters located on respectively opposite sides of theprinting member, a preliminary feeder associated with said driving wheeland arranged to travel from the receptacle for unmarked letters towardthe printing and impression members, a stacker on the opposite side ofsaid members, letter feeders con- 'nected to both the printing andimpression members above the operative surfaces thereof arranged to bearupon opposite sides of a letter and propel the same, a separatoradjacent to said preliminary feeder for holding back all letters exceptthe one engaged with said feeder, an abutment in the path of the lettersfor arresting letters until the printing and impression members are ableto grasp the same, a lock normally holding the printing and impressionmembers apart, a gate connected to said lock and projecting across thepath of the letter for displacing said lock, gearing connecting saiddriving wheel, printing member, impression memher, and stacker, forcausing all to be driven positively in timed relation with one another,and coupling means intermediate one of the gears of such gearing and theimpression member, and having positive rotationtransmitting engagementwith each, said coupling being constructed to permit yielding of theimpression member for thick letters without altering the relation ofsaid gear to the rest of the gearing.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

VICTOR BEAUREGARD.

Witnesses:

FORREST R. RoULs'roNE,

P. W. PEZZETTI.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

